The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-09-03
A COIL OF WIRE.
The Interesting Process of Wire-Mak.
ing Clearly Described.
Corr. Wheeling Register.

steel made into fine wire? The
process is interesting. How do steel
blooms become finely polished
wire? The manufacture is peculiar
The bloom, as we follow it into the
wire factory, is first cut into billets
some twenty inches long and four
inches square These are brought
red hot from the furnaces and slip.
ped between the rolls. In a moment
the billet of steel becomes stout
fibery serpent. A man at the Op.
posite side of the furnace nips il
around the neck with the tongues
and slips its head between the next
and smaller pair of rolls, so that
before the tail of the red serpent
has emerged from between the larger
rolls the head has been squeezed to
smaller dimensions in the second
rolls. The same process is repeated
again after the rod has passed
through the second roll, workmer
being ready to seize the serpent
twist his body around and let his
head be caught by the third roll
Thus it is passed on, each time be
coming longer and thinner, and the
billet, after passing through Is
rolls, becomes a wire rod. AS the
rod passes through the last roll il
is conveyed through a pipe three
inches in circumference. AS il
wriggles out of the pipe in twisted
form it is thrown across the floor
of the factory or wire mill. The
rolls then are kept constantly al
work, for no sooner has one roc
passed through the first roll thar
another enters it, and as the roc
grows in length one end may bt
passing out across the floor while
the other is half a dozen rolls il
the rear. Thus it twists its dull
red, thread-like length like ser
pent in and out Of the rolls, otter
near the ankles Of the workmen
ready with their tongs to guide i
onward in its devious windings
When the rod is at last spun on
upon the floor the end is taken VI
and twisted upon reel, which rap
idly winds it into coil.
After the rods leave the 'bloom
ing mill" they are taken to TIN
"wire MILL" where they are hun,
around wooden blocks, perhaps hal
a dozen coils on each block, which
are lowered into huge tubs of sui
phuric acid, and allowed to remain
there until the acid has removed
the impurities from the surface
The blocks are then raised by ;
pulley and the rods are thrown up
on the floor and washed with tn
hose. Having been loaded on tn
trucks and dried, one end of eacl
rod is pointed by a revolving ma
chine so as to pass into the di'
which is to draw the rods into wire
Having been removed to the wir'
blocks, the rods are then drawn b.
being passed through a taperint
hole in the steel die.
This steel rod, having thus beer
transformed into wire, is taken t
the annealing furnace. where it i
anneaIed and polished by a secre
process. The wire, which has hith
erto been of dull brown color, i
given bright polish by the anneal
ing and cleaning which it after
wards receives. Having been re
moved to the galvanizing house
the wire is run over series q
wheels and slides which stretch j
from the floor horizontally, an'
working automatically, dips tn
wire in lime every time it reaches
{ the floor. In galvanizing the pro
cess consists of the wire passing
through a solution Of muriatic aci'
and gravel, next through a drylni
furnace, and afterward through
metal bath of zinc. The wire mex
passes a "wiping box" filled will
mineral wool, which is agitated o.
a number of rollers. This sub
stance wipes off the surplus zinc
and bestows upon the wire smootl
surface. The long line of wire
which now has bright, silvery ap
pearance, is then bundled up II
reels ready for the market, eacl
reel weighing about 100 pounds.